The Equal Health Care for All Act would establish new federal protections and enforcement mechanisms to address health care discrimination and disparities. The bill prohibits health care providers from discriminating against patients based on race, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, age, or religion, and requires the collection and public reporting of health care data disaggregated by demographic characteristics to identify patterns of inequitable care. Patients who experience discriminatory health care can file complaints with a newly renamed Office for Civil Rights and Health Equity, which would investigate within 180 days and attempt conciliation, or pursue civil lawsuits seeking damages and injunctive relief. The bill also requires hospitals participating in Medicare's value-based purchasing program to adopt measures related to equitable health care starting in fiscal year 2025, allows the Health and Human Services Secretary to exclude providers from Medicare and Medicaid for patterns of discriminatory care, establishes a Federal Health Equity Commission to monitor implementation and report annually to Congress, and directs $180 days' worth of grants to hospitals to support programs addressing bias training, language services, workforce diversity, and data tracking related to health equity.
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